Leaf bag holder

ABSTRACT

A foldable wire framework is disclosed for supporting a plastic refuse bag in either a vertical or horizontal attitude, which facilitates its use. The bag holder in one embodiment comprises top and bottom rectilinear frame members that are pivotally attached to a rectilinear upright. The top and bottom frame members fold, respectively, downwardly and upwardly flat against the back side of the upright member for convenient storage. The holder is adapted to support a plastic bag in such a manner that it can be laid on its side with the upright member upon the ground whereby the opening of the bag is in a convenient position to receive leaves and debris that are swept into the opening. The holder is lightweight and after a portion of debris has been swept therein the top frame functions as a handle by which to raise the entire holder and bag to a vertical position and allow the debris to fall to the bottom of the bag.

United States Patent Ross [54] LEAF BAG HOLDER [72] Inventor: John A. Ross, Winthrop Harbor, Ill.

[73] Assignee: Hall Industries, Inc., Chicago, Ill.

[22] Filed: Nov. 4, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 86,855

[52] US. Cl ..248/97, 248/153, 248/175 [51] Int. Cl ..B65b 67/00 [58] Field of Search... ..248/99, 97, 98,153, 150,175;

[ 51 Feb. 1,1972

Primary Examiner-Chancellor E. Harris Attorney-Harbaugh and Thomas [57] ABSTRACT A foldable wire framework is disclosed for supporting a plastic refuse bag in either a vertical or horizontal attitude, which facilitates its use. The bag holder in one embodiment comprises top and bottom rectilinear frame members that are pivotally attached to a rectilinear upright. The top and bottom frame members fold, respectively, downwardly and upwardly flat against the back side of the upright member for convenient storage. The holder is adapted to support a plastic bag in such a manner that it can be laid on its side with the upright member upon the ground whereby the opening of the bag is in a convenient position to receive leaves and debris that are swept into the opening. The holder is lightweight and after a portion of debris has been swept therein the top frame func tions as a handle by which to raise the entire holder and bag to a vertical position and allow the debris to fall to the bottom of the bag.

11 Claims, 1l Drawing Figures Pmammm H972 3.888.888

SHEET 10F 2 INVE/V TOR: JOHN A. R055 PATENTEDFEB' H972 3,638,888

lNVE/VTOR: JOHN ,4. R053 LEAF BAG HOLDER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Our growing concern for the preservation of the ecology has fostered stringent controls to prevent air and water pollution, not the least of which are the prohibitions relating to the burning of debris by property owners. New regulations are now in effect in the cities and villages requiring that the land owner package leaves and debris in a convenient from for pickup by the sanitary personnel. Various fonns of disposable plastic bags are now being used in which to place the debris so that it can be picked up rather than burned.

The handling of these bags is particularly difficult because of their thin, limp sheet structure, inherent lubricity being of polyethylene, and their lack of tear resistance. As a result a number of frame devices have been provided to support the bags in an upright position with their tops held open, so that leaves and the like can be placed therein. The frames are intended to support the sides of the bag is such a manner that it will not collapse and tip over as the weight of the contents increase. These devices are quite useful but have several drawbacks.

In some designs of these frames are not collapsible and present a storage problem when not is use. Others are put together with bolts which tend to snag holes in the plastic bags and also catch the bag in a manner to make it difficult to remove the bag from the frame after it is filled. A polyethylene bag filled with leaves and debris is particularly cumbersome to handle. Although folding frames are known, the pivot points are often difficult to manipulate without tearing the bag and accidental collapse sometimes occurs. Some frames have a tubular base that is held off the ground by wheels. The purpose of this is to provide a mobile carrier for the bag once filled so that it is easily transported like a shopping cart. However, the frame, being raised from the ground allows the filled bag to sag into the inner circle of the base and catch in a manner that makes it difficult to remove. The bag has to be lifted upwardly from the frame. The wheels engage against the building bottom of the bag and either tear the bag or cause a braking action that is annoying. The instant invention is intended to mitigate these shortcomings in the prior art devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention concerns a simple, lightweight easily used, collapsible wire frame support for plastic bags used to gather debris that has no sharp or pointed parts to snag the bag and can be used in either an upright position or laying on its side, in which latter position, filling of the bag by sweeping or raking is easily accomplished. The frame is so designed to support the bag on its side so that it can be dragged across the lawn and filled by repeated sweeping and raising to an upright position. In one embodiment snag-free hinges and catches are provided for the top and bottom frame members that are simple to operate, provide positive latching and do not come apart during use. The leaf bag holder of this invention can be fabricated entirely of heavy wire or steel rod material by mere bending and welding operations.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Several illustrative embodiments of this invention are shown in drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the holder in an upright position with a plastic bag in place;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the holder and bag laying on its side for receipt of leaf sweepings;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of one form of the holder without the plastic bag;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective view of one form of hinge and latch shown in the open position;

FIG. 5 is a view of the hinge and latch of FIG. 3 in the locked position;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary enlarged perspective view of a modified latch;

FIG. 7 is a view of the latch of FIG. 6 shown in the closed position;

FIG. 8 is a view of another modification of the latch;

FIG. 9 is a view of the latch in FIG. 8 shown in the closed position;

FIG. 10 is a fragmentary sectional view to show the manner in which the bottom hinge acts as a skid; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary sectional view to show a modification of the latch shown in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings, FIG. I shows the holder 10 in an upright position with the polyethylene bag 12 draped therein and held in a position to receive debris or the like. In FIG. 3 the various parts of the holder 10 are revealed to include the main standard or support frame 14 comprising the elongated rods 16 and 18 with the cross braces 20 and 22 welded thereto as at the weldments 24. The ends of the rods 16 and 18 extend beyond the cross braces and have the respective smooth, rounded hooks 26 and 28 at the extended ends top and bottom.

The bottom frame 30 is generally rectangular and has outer side member 31, the inner side member 32, engaged within the bottom hooks or eyes 28 and also has the stop member 33 comprising the connecting rods 34 and 36 integral with the latch rod 38 that extends parallel and spaced from the side member 32. The plane of the rods 32 and 38 is substantially normal or vertical to the plane of the bottom frame 30.

The latch rod 38 has the extended tip 40 engaged within the latch member 42. The rod 20 can attach to the latch member 42 or directly to the side member 18. The connecting rods or spacers 34 and 36 are spaced inside the hook hinges 28 on each side. The bottom frame 30 can pivot on the hook hinges through almost a complete circle, limited by the stop member which is engageable against either side of the cross brace 20 and can slide the limit of the spacing between the rods 34 and 36 and the hinges on the axis of the inner side member 32.

At the top of the holder 10 there is provided the bag support or top frame member 46 having the outer side member or handle portion 48 joined and integral with the diverging sides 50 and 52 and joined to the inner side member 54 which engages through the top hook hinges 26. The handle portion 44 is shorter than the inner side member 54. The top frame 46 is planar and defines a rectangle with only two parallel sides, i.e., a trapezoid.

The bag support frame 46 has the stop member 55 comprising the connecting space bars 56 and 58 joined by the latch bar 60 having the extending tip 62 that is engaged within the upper latch member 42. Here again the crossbar 22 can attach to the top latch member 42 or directly to the side member 18.

FIG. 4 shows the details of this structure wherein the bag support frame 46 is free to pivot in the top hook hinges 26 to the position shown where it is stopped by the engagement of the rods 56 and 58 against the crossbar 22. The latch member 42 has the latch bore 64 to receive the tip 62 and is affixed to the bar 18 by the weldments 24. The crossbar 22 is affixed to the latch member 42 by engagement into a similar bore and or weldment 25 thereabout. The latch bore 64 is axially aligned with the latch bar 60 so that by sliding the bag support frame in the direction of the arrow 65, FIG. 5, the tip 62 is received in the bore 64. The connecting rods 56 and 58 are in sliding contact with the rod 22 as the tip 62 mates with the latch bore 64.

FIG. 6 shows a modification in which the latch comprises the squared book 66 having the opening 68 partially enclosed by the tip 70 to receive the latch extension or tip 62 in the manner shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 8 shows another modification in which the S-hook 72 engages about the cross rod 22 in an interference fit and has the hook opening 74 to receive the latch extension 62 in the manner shown in FIG. 9. The latches shown in FIGS. 4 to 9 are oriented to show the latching of the top frame 14, but it is to be understood that these structures also illustrate the latches for the bottom frame 30 when viewed upside down and in reverse.

To use the device of this invention, the bottom frame 30 is swung out to the position shown in FIG. 3 and the frame 14 and bottom frame 30 are moved in relation to one another to the latched position, similar to that shown in FIG. 5. The top bag frame support 46 is rotated to the position shown in FIG. 3 with the stop members 5658 against the cross rod 22 and moved to the latched position. This shifts the center of gravity of the assembly to the same side as the base 30 so that the device stands upright in the position shown without other support. The bag 12 is then inserted, either down through the top frame 46 or upward through the frame so that the edge 76 is above the frame. The flap 78 is then turned down over the frame in the usual manner to hold the bag in open position. The bottom 80 of the bag rests on the bottom frame 30. The assembly can be used in this position to deposit debris in the opening 82.

It is to be observed that the assembly can be tipped on its side as shown in FIG. 2 in which position the bar 58 encased in the flap is substantially flush with the ground and the bag opening 82 is held in a position for easy sweeping or raking the leaves 84 therein. The opposite bar 48, with the flap 78 of the bag thereabout becomes a convenient handle which one can grasp to drag the bag and entire frame from place to place for the period sweeping of leaves therein. FIG. shows that the hooks 28 on the bottom bar 32 are wrapped around far enough so that there is no sharp edge to engage the bar 12 and the curved portion 86 of the hook becomes a rounded skid to glide over the ground 88 as the assembly is pulled along in a sloping position.

To store the device it is only necessary to slide both top and bottom frame members to their unlatched positions and unfold it. The device can be hung flat against the wall with the top and bottom frame members turned 90 from the positions shown in FIG. 3 or each can be folded to the back side of the upright frame 14 to form a shorter collapsed piece for storage in a hanging or flat position.

The bag holder of this invention is fabricated of any desired metal stock such as 3/ l 6l/4-inch diameter steel or aluminum rod material. The latch 42 can be fabricated from two pieces of pipe by welding, one pipe forming the latch while the other is used to affix the bar 22. An alternative construction would be to weld the rod 22 to the rod 18 as shown by the weldment 24 in FIG. 11 and provide a latch 42' to form the latch bore 64. Assembly and use of the device of this invention is apparent from mere inspection of the parts and the use of fastening bolts, etc., that come loose and snag is omitted. All bends and weldments are smooth so that snagging is prevented.

Normally the latch 42 is fabricated so that the weldment 25 places the crossbar 22 in the plane of the sides 16 and 18 while the latch bore 64 lies in the plane of the latch rod 60 of the catch member 55. This means that the latch 42 is nonsymmetrical. The back surface of the latch 42 can be recessed to partially encompass the rod 18 to accomplish this purpose. The rod portion 60 can be omitted and only the tip 62 provided only one bar, i.e., bar 58 used to hold the tip in proper orientation with the latch 42. In this instance the bar 56 is replaced with a weldment to function as a stop member for the other side. These same alterations can be made in the stop member 33 at the bottom. However, the structure shown is preferred because the stop members form additional planar support for the bag when in the position shown in FIG. 2. The length of the bars 34 to 58, for example can be varied although fabrication is facilitated if all parts are uniform. Additional coplanar cross bracing bars in the upright frame 14 or the bottom can be used. The bars 31 and 48 are substantially the same length. Preferably the loop hinges 26 and 28 are turned inwardly toward the same side of the frame 14 as shown in FIG. 3. However, the top hinges 26 can be turned in the opposite direction as long as the central axis of the loop allows the stop member 55 to strike the crossbar 22 and hold the top frame 48 in a plane substantially parallel to the ground. In the event the bottom loops are reversed they should be turned in sufficiently to form a smooth skid surface. It is also apparent that the bottom support member 30 need not be rectilinear as long as the one side 32 is substantially straight to form a hinge bar. The arrangement can also be reversed so that the latch members 42 are on the same side 18 as shown or on the side 16 or on alternate sides. However, an arrangement wherein both latch members are on the same side is preferred. Although the hook latch 66 is shown as an integral part of the crossbar 22 in FIG. 5, this hook latch can be a separate member.

What is claimed is: 1. A holder for flexible bags in which to collect debris and the like comprising:

an elongate generally rectilinear frame means having coplanar spaced side members and crossmembers connecting said side members at each end and spaced from the respective ends of the side members; coaxial loop means formed in the extended ends of said side members; bottom means having an elongate substantially straight side member pivotally engaged through said spaced loop means at one end of said frame support; top means having an elongate substantially straight side engaged through said spaced loop means at the other end of said frame support; said top and bottom means each having a stop member extending from the respective straight sides, said stop members being substantially normal to the plane of the respective top and bottom members and each being engageable with the respective crossmembers at the ends of said frame means when rotated to the same side of said frame means and adapted to hold said top and bottom means in spaced substantially parallel relationship; said respective straight sides of said top and bottom means being laterally slidably retained in said loop means and including a locking tip extending toward one of said sides of said frame means; and means on a side of said frame means to receive said locking tip in one lateral position to prevent rotation of said top and bottom means about said loop means. 2. A holder in accordance with claim 1 in which: said top means comprises a rectilinear member and the straight side thereof is longer than the opposite side.

3. A holder in accordance with claim I in which said top means comprises a bar formed into a trapezoidal shape.

4. A holder in accordance with claim 1 in which:

said means to receive said locking tip comprises a tubular housing attached to said frame means.

5. A holder in accordance with claim 1 in which:

said means to receive said locking tip comprises a loop member extending from and as part of said crossmembers at each end of said frame means.

6. A holder in accordance with claim 1 in which:

said means to receive said locking tip comprises an S-hook rotatably engaging said crossmember at one end and having a circular opening at the other end to engage said locking tip.

7. A holder for flexible bags in accordance with claim 1:

said frame and top and bottom means are formed of bar stock;

said frame comprises a pair of elongated coplanar bar members joined at points spaced from their ends by a pair of crossbar;

the extended ends of said frame bar members are formed into coaxial hinge loops;

said top member comprises a rectilinear loop having one of its side extending through a pair of the coaxial loops of said frame;

said top member is provided with a pair of connecting bars extending from said one side between said loops and spaced therefrom on each side, said connecting bars being coplanar and lying in a plane normal to the plane of said top member;

a locking bar carried by and at the ends of said connecting bars;

said bottom member comprises a rectilinear loop having one of its sides extending through a second pair of the coaxial loops of said frame;

said bottom member is provided with a pair of connecting bars extending from said one side between said loops and spaced therefrom on each side, said connecting bars being coplanar and lying in a plane normal to the plane of said bottom member;

a locking bar carried by and at the ends of said connecting bars; and

said respective connecting bars of said top and bottom members being longer than the radial distance between the axial line of said loops at each end and said crossbars;

each of said locking bars having an end extending beyond one of the respective connecting bars; and recess means carried bysaid frame and aligned with the extended ends of said locking bars whereby said top and bottom rectilinear loop members are rotatable within the coaxial hinge loops in opposite directions to positions normal to the plane of and on the same side of said frame and each is slidable to a locked position with the extended end of said locking bars in said respective recess means.

8. A holder for flexible bags in accordance with claim 7 in which:

said hinge loops have their respective openings on the same side of said frame.

9. A holder for flexible bags in accordance with claim 7 in which;

said hinge loops for the bottom rectilinear loop member are turned substantially 360 whereby to form a rounded skid member at the bottom corner of said holder.

10. A holder for flexible bags in accordance with claim 7 in which:

which:

said recess means comprises an S-hook having one loop thereof about said crossbars of said frame member with the bother loop engageable over the extended end of each of said locking bars. 

1. A holder for flexible bags in which to collect debris and the like comprising: an elongate generally rectilinear frame means having coplanar spaced side members and crossmembers connecting said side members at each end and spaced from the respective ends of the side members; coaxial loop means formed in the extended ends of said side members; bottom means having an elongate substantially straight side member pivotally engaged through said spaced loop means at one end of said frame support; top means having an elongate substantially straight side engaged through said spaced loop means at the other end of said frame support; said top and bottom means each having a stop member extending from the respective straight sides, said stop members being substantially normal to the plane of the respective top and bottom members and each being engageable with the respective crossmembers at the ends of said frame means when rotated to the same side of said frame means and adapted to hold said top and bottom means in spaced substantially parallel relationship; said respective straight sides of said top and bottom means being laterally slidably retained in said loop means and including a locking tip extending toward one of said sides of said frame means; and means on a side of said frame means to receive said locking tip in one lateral position to prevent rotation of said top and bottom means about said loop means.
 2. A holder in accordance with claim 1 in which: said top means comprises a rectilinear member and the straight side thereof is longer than the Opposite side.
 3. A holder in accordance with claim 1 in which said top means comprises a bar formed into a trapezoidal shape.
 4. A holder in accordance with claim 1 in which: said means to receive said locking tip comprises a tubular housing attached to said frame means.
 5. A holder in accordance with claim 1 in which: said means to receive said locking tip comprises a loop member extending from and as part of said crossmembers at each end of said frame means.
 6. A holder in accordance with claim 1 in which: said means to receive said locking tip comprises an S-hook rotatably engaging said crossmember at one end and having a circular opening at the other end to engage said locking tip.
 7. A holder for flexible bags in accordance with claim 1: said frame and top and bottom means are formed of bar stock; said frame comprises a pair of elongated coplanar bar members joined at points spaced from their ends by a pair of crossbar; the extended ends of said frame bar members are formed into coaxial hinge loops; said top member comprises a rectilinear loop having one of its side extending through a pair of the coaxial loops of said frame; said top member is provided with a pair of connecting bars extending from said one side between said loops and spaced therefrom on each side, said connecting bars being coplanar and lying in a plane normal to the plane of said top member; a locking bar carried by and at the ends of said connecting bars; said bottom member comprises a rectilinear loop having one of its sides extending through a second pair of the coaxial loops of said frame; said bottom member is provided with a pair of connecting bars extending from said one side between said loops and spaced therefrom on each side, said connecting bars being coplanar and lying in a plane normal to the plane of said bottom member; a locking bar carried by and at the ends of said connecting bars; and said respective connecting bars of said top and bottom members being longer than the radial distance between the axial line of said loops at each end and said crossbars; each of said locking bars having an end extending beyond one of the respective connecting bars; and recess means carried by said frame and aligned with the extended ends of said locking bars whereby said top and bottom rectilinear loop members are rotatable within the coaxial hinge loops in opposite directions to positions normal to the plane of and on the same side of said frame and each is slidable to a locked position with the extended end of said locking bars in said respective recess means.
 8. A holder for flexible bags in accordance with claim 7 in which: said hinge loops have their respective openings on the same side of said frame.
 9. A holder for flexible bags in accordance with claim 7 in which; said hinge loops for the bottom rectilinear loop member are turned substantially 360* whereby to form a rounded skid member at the bottom corner of said holder.
 10. A holder for flexible bags in accordance with claim 7 in which: said bottom loop member is essentially square in configuration; and said top loop member is trapezoidal in configuration with the longer of the parallel sides encompassed by said hinge loops.
 11. A holder for flexible bags in accordance with claim 7 in which: said recess means comprises an S-hook having one loop thereof about said crossbars of said frame member with the bother loop engageable over the extended end of each of said locking bars. 